https://www.rferl.org/z/23337 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Lebanon, Israel, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iraq. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23337 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:31:00 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Iran said it has opened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping traffic for the reamiiner of a 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, and US President Donald Trump again suggested that Washington and Tehran could reach a deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran in the near future. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-lebanon-hormuz/33734636.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-lebanon-hormuz/33734636.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:33:06 +0200 NewsIranMiddle East A senior Republican lawmaker has raised concerns over continued US-origin components appearing in Russian weapon systems amid Ukrainian reports that recent drone strikes show evidence of Western microelectronics manufactured as recently as 2025. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:58:52 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Despite suffering significant losses, Iran believes it is winning the war against the United States and Israel. That view is shaping Tehran’s conduct in the conflict and its demands in peace talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:29:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran are "very close" to a deal to end the war and that US and Iranian negotiators could meet for a second round of talks this coming weekend. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-lebanon-leadership-talks-peace/33733502.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-lebanon-leadership-talks-peace/33733502.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:28:37 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's commissioner for sanctions policy, told RFE/RL in an interview that any relief for Moscow and Russian oil only serves to extend the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:25:47 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could be over "very soon," and Pakistan's powerful army chief visited Tehran in a bid to bridge the gap between the United States and Iran and pave the way for a new round of talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:48:04 +0200 IranNewsRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastChina Azeem Ibrahim, a longtime Middle East observer, tells RFE/RL that the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly becoming more than just a chokepoint for oil, describing it as a space where economic pressure, military risk, and geopolitical ambition converge. https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:27:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump suggested that talks with Iran could resume in a day or two, while the US military said that no ships slipped through a naval blockade targeting vessels headed to or from Iranian ports in the first 24 hours of the restrictive measure. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:32:22 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East RFE/RL spoke with Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, on the intersection of naval blockades and financial warfare as Washington halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:32:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Marathon talks aimed at halting the war in Iran ended without a breakthrough, as US Vice President JD Vance flew back to the United States amid major questions what comes next for the 43-day-old conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:14:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Images from the sixth week of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the beginning of a fragile temporary cease-fire. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-photos-photos/33729218.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-photos-photos/33729218.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:07:28 +0200 IranPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US Vice President JD Vance has stepped into the most consequential diplomatic challenge of his tenure, heading to Islamabad to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:51:11 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The temporary truce between the United States and Iran wobbled less than a day after being agreed as Israel launched massive attacks on Iranian proxies in Lebanon, while Tehran launched strikes at oil centers in several Persian Gulf countries after claiming its energy facilities were targeted. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-ceasefire-holding-strait-hormuz-shipping/33727626.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-ceasefire-holding-strait-hormuz-shipping/33727626.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:41:39 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East ⁠Key ⁠European ‌Union oil and gas ⁠groups will hold meetings this week as countries around the bloc scramble to deal with the impact of the US-Israel-led war with Iran on energy prices and supplies. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-energy-saving-measures-iran-war/33726812.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-energy-saving-measures-iran-war/33726812.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:08:07 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastEurope Hours before a US deadline for Iran to reach a deal or face intense attacks on power plants and other infrastructure, Pakistan urged President Donald Trump to give Tehran two more weeks to allow the two sides to reach a peace settlement. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-trump-deadline-power-plant/33726600.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-trump-deadline-power-plant/33726600.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:03:24 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Former White House Iran adviser Nate Swanson warns that US threats of rapid strikes are largely psychological and unlikely to shift Tehran’s calculus, as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz and prospects for a near-term deal remain slim. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:02:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The US-Israeli war with Iran has continued following US President Donald Trump’s TV address to the nation, with a series of reported air strikes, defiant messaging from Tehran, and a US warning in Iraq of an imminent attack in Baghdad by Iranian proxy forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:37:13 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump on April 1 said the United States is close to “finishing the job” in Iran, while warning that US forces will continue to strike the country “extremely hard” for another “two to three weeks.” https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:22:29 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East It's not just oil and gas. Iran’s shipping blockade is also holding up supplies of other key commodities and causing price spikes on global markets that will affect everyone. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:18:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East China and Pakistan launched a joint push for a ceasefire in Iran, aiming to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz and stabilize global energy flows as the conflict disrupts markets and shipping. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-joint-peace-plan-iran-war-usa-israel-hormuz/33722217.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-joint-peace-plan-iran-war-usa-israel-hormuz/33722217.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:46:12 +0200 ChinaIranPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East